(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-05-03 11:21

WASHINGTON -- US President George W. Bush sent a bill of US$70 billion to Congress on Friday to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first several months of the fiscal year 2009.

The request fills in the details of the budget the White House sent to Congress in February for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

U.S. President George W. Bush reacts to a question during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington April 29, 2008. [Xinhua]

Among the requested fund, 45 billion dollars will be used to combat operations, 3 billions dollars to deal with roadside bombs and 2 billion dollars to handle rising fuel costs.

It also includes 770 million dollars to ease the current global food crisis, 2.6 billion dollars to transport and maintain the new mine-resistant vehicles that will be used in the war fields.

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Afghan military will receive 3.7 billion dollars alone to counter insurgency and the Iraqi military will be awarded 2 billion dollars for the same purpose. Another 1.7 billion dollars will be invested in the reconstruction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Bush has warned Democrats-dominated Congress to approve the war funding bill by the end of May, or the Pentagon will have to lay off its staff.

However, the 108 billion dollars Bush administration has requested to the current fiscal year 2008 starting Oct. 1, 2007 has not totally greenlighted by Congress as Democrats are struggling to force the president to scale back war operations.

Since the Iraq war began in March 2003, Congress has approved 526 billion dollars for the Iraq war alone and 140 billion dollars for the operations in Afghanistan.

In all, the Bush administration has asked for 875 billion dollars to fight against terrorism and conduct wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001.